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Category Archives: Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down

Forged Bloodlines fan fiction contest

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Have you ever wanted to take the world of Forged Bloodlines out for a spin? Write yourself in there as an original character? Kill off characters you hate? Decide who Anja belongs with once and for all? Now’s your chance! I’m holding a fan fiction contest for the Forged Bloodlines series. I would like to offer prizes in multiple categories (such as most romantic, best action, snappiest dialogue, most true to character, steamiest…), but we’ll see how many entries we get. There is no minimum length and any rating is accepted.

What do you get if you win? A signed copy of Release Me When the Sun Goes Down (or you can substitute one of my others if you prefer), a $10 Amazon gift card and your choice of some Forged Bloodlines swag that’s currently only available to my Streetbots team. Anyone who enters must give me permission to post the winning entries on my blog, but I will give you full credit. It’d be extra awesome if you decide to post it on fanfiction.net or mibba or one of the other fan fiction hubs.

This contest will run through April 30th, so you’ve got time to put something together be it a one-shot or a multi-chapter epic saga. You can set your story at any point in the Forged Bloodlines timeline, even in the future or the past and use any characters as you will. To enter, contact me through the website or through facebook pm and we’ll chat about how to submit.

What do you guys think? Is that deadline doable? I’m flexible here, so sing out if you have any questions.

Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down is out in print!

Hear-Me-Cover---promotional

Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down is now out in print! So, for all you out there who prefer to hold the physical book in your hands (and it’s very pretty!), you can buy it on Amazon.com here.

Angel of Mercy is also now available in print with it’s new cover here.

In other news… I’m about 64K through The Company of Darkness and things are starting to kick into high gear! I’ll be revealing the cover in the next couple of days. :)

Dreamcasting for Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down

It’s time for a new dream casting post since I have a new Forged Bloodlines book out. As you know, I ALWAYS cast these suckers in my head when I’m in the process of writing, so I thought I’d share my picks for how I see the characters in my head. I’ll include Bishop, Rob and Anja as a refresher, but you can see the rest of the cast from my previous dreamcasting posts here:

Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down
Find Me When the Sun Goes Down
Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down
Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down

Anja Evans: Teresa Palmer – So I hadn’t cast a female lead as a blonde before, but since it went with the Viking ancestry link for this series, I decided to try something new. I like Teresa Palmer because she can play innocence well, but you get the feeling like she could seriously kick a little ass once she comes into her own. (see her with a shotgun in Warm Bodies)

Rob: Jason Statham – Rob is a character I borrowed from my True Blood fanfic, and I pictured him as Handsome Rob from The Italian Job at the time and the name just stuck. He looks like he could hold his own against a vampire and I just love his voice with the accent.


Bishop: Chris Evans – Before I even nailed down this character I had Chris Evans in mind, as he looks in the movie Push, which is a little rough around the edges, but definitely formidable. He’s got that ability to play tough, but with a vulnerability that makes him relatable. Plus, he’s so damn pretty to look at.

Corazon: Michelle Rodriguez – One of the few women I know who can scare the crap out of you with a single flat stare. She would be perfect to play the prickly Order member.



Amunet: Morena Baccarin – Okay, so I know she’s Brazillian born and of Italian descent (not Egyptian), but I still think she could pull off Amunet’s exotic sensuality and give Anja something to be jealous over.


Chad: Josh Hartnett – Yep, Chad makes his way back into the series though not in the way you might think. I wanted someone who could be strong and rough around the edges, but pretty underneath.



The Council:

Cordelia: Carla Gugino – because she looks so capable and strong but still sexy, it’s easy to picture her as a vampire who’s been around for a while.



Holt: Mark Strong – because he is in every movie.




Anders: Ron Glass – He just feels wise to me. Okay, so that’s probably just because of Firefly, but whatever.



Powell: Billy Burke – I first liked him as Bella’s dad and then even more in Revolution.





Durand: Michael Rosenbaum – Okay, I admit I had a total crush on Lex Luthor. Can you just see him as a powerful vampire?




After about a week of sales, Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down is currently 11 in Hot New Releases for Occult and 22 in Hot New Releases for Horror!

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,092 Paid in Kindle Store
#22 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror > Occult
#23 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult
#54 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Vampires

This places my current Amazon Author Rank at:
#55 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

Thanks to everyone for their amazing support. I couldn’t do it without you!

Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down is out!

Hear-Me-Cover---promotional

My new book is out! Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down is now available for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble! It’s out as an e-book for $3.99 but you don’t have to have a Kindle or Nook to read it, they have free downloadable apps so you can read it on your PC, or even your phone. It’ll be available in print as well in a few weeks through Amazon. I can’t wait for you all to read how Anja handles Jakob stepping forth to claim her as his as both Rob and Bishop vie for a place in her heart. Check out the website for a little taste to whet your appetite. Here is the blurb:

“I’d made my bed, now I had to lie in it and hope Jakob didn’t climb in beside me.”
Anja is saved from torture and death only to find a new kind of imprisonment at Jakob’s side. Thanks to his stifling restrictions, Anja feels more like she’s under house arrest than ever, unable to so much as share an honest conversation with Rob, let alone act on what her heart wants. Desperate to assert her control and avoid Jakob’s oppressive influence, Anja returns to the West as war erupts, forcing the Order underground and under her protection. Determined to win her love back, Bishop leaves everything behind to be by her side, making it difficult for Anja to choose who to let into her heart. But there’s a reason for Jakob’s obsession with Anja’s safety, an old enemy that frightens even the powerful Ellri himself. It’s never been a more dangerous time for those Anja loves.

Thanks to everyone who voted on the cover art and Raylene look for your free copy of the book in your email. Special thanks to Laveda Kasch who won the contest to become a character in the book, I think Laveda turned into an interesting addition to the Forged Bloodlines family.

Next up… Book 2 of The Company series: The Company of Darkness
Cady and Ethan beat the bad guy and saved the day… or did they? Ash is bound but not destroyed and Ethan’s moods have taken on a distinctly darker turn since absorbing his energy. And then there’s the Company – how much will Cady come to regret showing up on their radar?

A taste of Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down

Hear-Me-Cover---promotional

Seeing as how Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down will likely be out by week’s end, I thought I’d give you a little taste.


He’d said he was seeing to my needs, but I could feel his need there, burning as sharply as mine. Rob pulled me closer, his hands smoothing over my body as if he needed to reassure himself I was still alive and whole. I could relate, I wanted to touch him everywhere, feel the burn of his skin against mine. His heart thumped madly, making me forget everything else but this stolen moment. At least until I wound my leg around his waist to draw him closer and my stupid knee flared in protest.

Rob let go of me at the gasp of pain that came with it, guessing what had happened from our positions. “Is it bad?” he asked, his hand landing gently above my knee.

“Bad enough that I want to get it out even if I have to grab a steak knife and do it myself,” I said, mostly joking.

“What about the rest of you? Anything lingering beyond the knee?” His thumb brushed across the scar on my cheek and I leaned into his hand, pressing a kiss to the base of his thumb.

“I should be asking you the same thing.” My eyes flew to his chest, the ridge of a scar all too present under my light touch. “When he picked up that poker…” I swallowed back a thick lump of emotion. “I was so scared, I really thought he was going to kill us all.” Here I thought I’d run out of tears, but a few more sprang to the corners of my eyes, and Rob caught one with his thumb.

“I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve gotten you out of there. I failed you.”

“It’s not your fault, you tried. I’m the one that wouldn’t let you go without taking Bishop too.”

Rob wasn’t having any of it, his face hung heavy with regret as his hands framed my cheeks. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”

“I’m safe now.”

“No thanks to me.”

I reached up to stroke his jaw, fingers trailing to feather over his lips. “Shh, we don’t have much time. I don’t know where else we can expect to be alone anymore.” The thick stone walls of the lower levels afforded us some privacy, but the instant I’d be able to hear anyone approaching, they’d be sure to hear us as well.

“Not in this bloody house, that’s for sure. As much as it pains me, you know what we have to do. You have to stop looking at me like that, or I won’t be able to do this.”

“I can’t help it. I almost lost you.”

“I told you I’d never leave you again. You calling me a liar?” The corners of his mouth twitched higher.

I didn’t want to cave, but I couldn’t resist one of his rare smiles. “You also said you’d see to my needs,” I reminded him, pulling him close to steal another kiss.

“They’ll be here any minute,” he murmured against my lips, but it didn’t stop him from settling closer between my thighs, hands on my hips.

“Then don’t waste it.” We sank into another soul-searing kiss that had everything to do with healing in a way the doctor’s scalpel could never provide. How could I possibly hope to give this up with Jakob so close at hand?

Up close and personal with Bishop

The other day I posted an interview with Rob thanks to some fantastic questions I got from Laveda. Here are Bishop’s responses to more of the same. Who would’ve guessed he’d be so chatty once you got him talking?

*** Spoiler Alert *** There is a spoiler or two for Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down in here, I’ve just realized. So read on at your own peril.

Q1. What’s your favorite color?
Blue

Q2. Favorite kind of music?
The classics, of course, Liszt, Brahms, Chopin, those are my favorites, and Dvorak for strings. But I like Billy Joel quite a bit, and Nine Inch Nails. Have you ever heard of a band called Head Automatica? I listened to them for about a year when the Decadence cd got stuck in my car.

Q3. Last spontaneous thing you did?
Agree to this interview? *grins* Actually, it’s probably when I quit the Order. I’d been thinking about it for a while, but the decision came pretty spontaneously.

Q4. How do you decompress?
I like to have a glass of burgundy and listen to music. I used to like to go the museum at night, a long time ago.

Q5. What would be your perfect future?
*takes a long breath* In a perfect future, I’d get a chance to make things right with Anja. I’d learn from my stupid mistakes, be there for her when she needs me. We’d be here in San Francisco and I could maybe take a reduced role in the Order. I know I quit, but… it’s hard to give it up after so long. Or I don’t know, maybe she’ll cook up some crazy position for me and I can do that. As long as she’s in it, I don’t much care what I’m doing in the future.

Q6. Boxers, briefs or nada? Lol
I’m a boxer briefs kind of guy. You know, the stretchy kind? You never know when you’re gonna have to get up in a hurry, and it’s good to have something on. Oh… you didn’t ask me about what I slept in, did you? *rubs the back of his head in embarrassment*

No I didn’t, but I’m kinda disappointed, I always pictured you slept naked…
*blushes* Only when I have company. Ah… what’s the next question?

Q7. Exactly how old are you?
I am 464 years old. I know, that’s a lot of nights, right?

Q8. Described each other and then yourself in 3 words or less.
Oh, that’s a hard one. Ah, let’s see. Rob, he’s dependable. Dangerous. And strong, there’s that too.
Me… I don’t know. Lately I’m having a hard time with what I am. It feels like I’m two people sometimes, you know? I used to just be the job. That was easy. I’d say I was focused, strict and powerful. Now… Now I’m starting to realize just how little power I have over the things that matter. These days I’m more… Can I skip this one?

Q9. What is it about Anja that attracts you? Is it just her beauty?
It’s all about beauty with Anja, but not just what she looks like. I mean, she is beautiful, just look at her. But she’s so much more. It’s that cliché of beauty on the inside, but it’s completely true with Anja. She’s kind and sweet and somehow pure, even after everything she’s been through. She’s got the same violent tendencies we all do, but she won’t give in to them. She wants the world to be this perfect place and God, I wish I could give it to her. Even when she makes me so mad I can’t see straight… I just want to kiss her. And sometimes when she looks at me, I just… *his smile dims* I need to get that back.

Q10. What are your feelings about Jakob, especially where Anja is concerned?
He’s a bully, he always has been. He’s always taken what he wants without thought or regard for anyone but himself. He says he’s willing to be patient with Anja… but I can’t help but worry what he’ll do when he runs out of patience.

Q11. Bishop, we all know how pissed off you were that Anja gave her blood to Rob. Can you explain why a little more?
*shifts in his chair* Oh that, yeah, that was not the best news I’ve ever gotten. Looking back, I can understand that she didn’t set out to hurt me by doing it, but damn… I’d claimed her as mine. Do you get what that means? I don’t mean it in the caveman, ‘this my woman’ *thumps chest* way, but we made promises to each other. Like it or not, the giving and taking of blood is intimate, and to find out she’d shared that intimacy with someone else, someone who had feelings for her to boot… I’m not gonna lie, it made me see red. Maybe that makes me old fashioned or domineering, but I don’t want her sharing those things with anyone but me. Didn’t. I didn’t want that. She can do whatever she wants now, obviously.

Q12.Bishop, can you explain your love for Carys and Anja. Is it the same, different. Do you or did you love one more than the other?
Wow, you’re not pulling any punches, are you? They’re different women, very different. Honestly, when I look at Anja now, I don’t even see Carys anymore. It’s hard for me to explain what I had with Carys. Those were very different times, both for vampires and in the world. I hated a lot of what she put me through, the things she made me do. *sits in silence for a minute* But there were good times too. She was smart, crazy smart for a girl. Wait… that came out wrong. She taught me about art and music. And about love, how it builds and how it destroys.

You have to remember that Carys was very young when Jakob turned her, barely fifteen. Though she matured over the years, there was still a part of her personality that was very childlike – almost like she couldn’t process disappointment without pitching a fit. It made her cruel and petty sometimes. That was hard to get along with, but there was a part of her, a part she showed to very few, that I loved deeply. I think I would have left her long before I did, but it wasn’t all compulsion that kept me by her side.

Anja… *lets out a long sigh* Thanks to her I found my music again, and life… I didn’t even realize I was missing one. She makes me feel alive in a way I didn’t think possible anymore. She makes me want to be a man again, if that makes sense. Not that I’m not a man, but… for centuries I guess I’ve operated under the idea that vampires are superior to humans. Now, I’m not so sure. Sometimes I think she’s right, that I’ve lost that spark of humanity that made everything worthwhile. When I’m with her, I feel like there’s more out there for me than duty and obedience. I feel like there’s a chance to regain what I lost all those years ago. I feel… I felt, complete.

Q13. What was it like watching Anja fight Angel? What was going on in your head?
I had Corley’s mage in my sights, you know. The slightest twitch that Angel had gotten the upper hand and I would’ve put a bullet in his brain to drop the spell ward. But Anja was tougher than I gave her credit for. That left hook of hers is a thing of beauty. It turns out she didn’t need me at all. *falls silent*

Q14. Bishop, in book five in the end after being tortured Anja went to Rob and you said you realized you had lost her, what now? Move on? Fight for her?
That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? Whether I ever move on or not, she’s made it clear she already has. And now that Jakob’s back… *shakes head* I’m not sure there’s room for me in her life – now. Of course I want her back, but mostly I just want her to be happy, you know? But forever’s a long time, and I have no intention of stepping out of her life. *hopeful smile* Anything could happen.

Q15. Do you think things will be easier or harder for Anja now that everyone knows who her creator is?
Well, for one thing, her status in society just went off the charts. There are very few draugen still living, that plus her position as Elder of the West puts her into the elite. At the same time… it’s not easy living with such notoriety all the time. It’s part of why Carys would run away from Jakob from time to time. You need to lose yourself in the crowd every now and again. So will it be easier or harder for Anja? Yes. *lopsided grin*

Q16 How do you guys feel about each other? Is there any bad blood there?
We’ve had our differences, but Rob’s a good guy. If I had to trust Anja’s safety to someone besides myself, he’s capable enough. I just… I don’t know if he can give her everything she needs. Not that I did such a bang up job in that department. *scratches the back of his neck* But he’s a blunt instrument, a bruiser. It’s hard for me to picture her with him. He’s so closed off sometimes, I wonder if she can really be happy with him, you know? That’s all I want, for her to be happy. If it’s with him instead of me… that’s not what you asked though, is it? *offers a half smile*

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